Friday, December 4, 2009

Putin lauds expat Lieberman's 'brilliant political career' in Israel

(AP)>Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin praised Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Friday for his rise to a senior cabinet position in Israel after having emigrated from the former Soviet Union.

"We are very happy that people from the Soviet Union build such a brilliant political career," said Putin at a meeting in Moscow, referring to the foreign minister.

During the talks, the foreign minister called for closer ties and economic cooperation between the two countries. He spoke with Putin in flawless Russian, throwing in a few words of English.

Putin also praised Israel's sizable Russian community as "something that unites us with you like no other country."